Dose Criteria for the Designation of Radioactively Contaminated Land (RCE-2)

Synopsis

This report details the Health Protection Agency’s advice on the designation of radioactively contaminated land in response to proposals from Defra for the new regulations on the clean-up of contaminated sites. Two different situations are considered, contamination spread fairly evenly and uneven contamination, perhaps comprising a few widely spaced highly radioactive particles. If land is designated as radioactively contaminated measures should be taken, where appropriate, to reduce the doses. In some circumstances such measures may not be appropriate for a variety of reasons. Equally, where land is not designated as radioactively contaminated, this would not automatically preclude the use of simple measures to reduce doses. The costs and benefits of remediation should be assessed in both cases.

Last reviewed: 17 August 2009